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Thursday, 16 October 2014

Armitage Bath move is dead - Ford

Bath head coach Mike Ford has said the proposed deal to sign Steffon Armitage from French club Toulon is "dead".

The 29-year-old flanker has been named in the Toulon side to face Scarlets in Sunday's European Champions Cup and will be cup tied if he plays.

"We've tried our best to get him but unfortunately we've just failed to cross the line, " Ford said.

Armitage is now unlikely to play in next year's World Cup, due to England's policy of selecting home-based players.

Both Bath and Armitage had been keen on a move that would enable the reigning European player of the year to challenge for a place in Stuart Lancaster's squad for the 2015 tournament.But, despite lengthy discussions, the clubs were unable to reach a financial agreement.

"It's a dead deal," Ford told BBC Radio 5 live. "We couldn't really agree with the finances with Toulon, so he'll play for them this weekend and it's a done deal."